james1990

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I'm about to do my first muriatic acid bath for some hrs pukani dry rock. about 50lbs. Do I need to put a powerhead or submersible pump in the container? Im also using a 45 gallon brute, is that safe? I want to double check with you guys before I try this.

1) add rock to brute.
2)fill up about half with cold tap water
3)add muriatic acid. I read 10:1 ratio but what would that be?
4) after a hour or so when the foam stops add some more acid. how much more?
5)after the foam stops again pour baking soda
6)add more baking soda
7) empty out Brute, hose off rock
8) let rock sit out and dry

Am I missing something? And yes, I know, use a face mask, goggles, and gloves and do this outdoors.
 

james1990

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looks like I need more acid. I have a 44 gallon brute and a 32 gallon. I filled both of them half way with dry rock and water, then added a gallon muriatic acid to each. Im going to pick up another 2 gallons and do one more cycle
 

james1990

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ahedady9.jpg
apu3y6es.jpg
 

JARRETT SHARK

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Missing something ? Yes, Why on earth are you acid washing rock. You will make the rock worse not better. Better to just soak it over night in 100 % bleach.

Bleach only removes the thin top layer on rock, acid get deap inside rock and actually takes off a 1/8 layer of all rock so any pest or un wanted coral will never come back
Also acid bath removes phosphate that are leached In rock, I have done acid bath even on rock that was treated with copper and no signs of copper now,
RC has a bunch of good threads on this method

I only telling what worked for me and other I know
 

Boomer

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Bleach only removes the thin top layer on rock, acid get deap inside rock and actually takes off a 1/8 layer of all rock so any pest or un wanted coral will never come back

That is all you need to take out. What do you mean the will never come back. That is silly. You are telling me that acid treated rock will NEVER have any kind of "algae", Cyanobacteria, Diatoms, ever again growing on it again ? That is the biggest line of BS I have ever heard.




Also acid bath removes phosphate that are leached In rock, I have done acid bath even on rock that was treated with copper and no signs of copper now,

What do mean leached ? The phosphate is chemically bound to the rock as Calcium phosphate. You have to have dissolution to have it released.

Most of the so calked leaching is unbound P which bleach removes.

And what happens when you dissolve rock with an acid. It for all practical purposes is melting the rock, closes pore, locking in things in some of those pores. At the same time the rock, made of calcium carbonate that is dissolving, releases CO3--, which a base, which raise the local pH, Alk, causing the re-precipitation of the calcium carbonate and the re-precipitation of Calcium phoshate which you are trying to remove allot of it gong right back to that rock. Now you have a more fresh new surface, which does what when you put it back in the tank. Causes the immediate precip of Hi-Magnesium Calcite on the rock surface and precip of Calcium phosphate. And your rock is going right back to where you were.

Still waiting for anyone to explain how algae is removing chemically bound P from a rock.

Any of you guys ever think it has nothing to do with P and that life forms do not like growing on the acid treated now altered surface ? Ever think that maybe your algae issues are that you are adding something, not P related, that is fueling the algae growth. Julian's theory that works for some. Frequent WC add back in some limiting nutrient that has been used up = algae growth. Stop WC, nutrient is depleted algae stops. How come lots of reefers don't have " your" issues and DO NOT acid treat rocks and never have ?

Any so called bound P has much of nothing to do with it, it is the guy in the mirror. You guys like to dream up reasons why your tanks are not successful.


I could care less about RC, I spent 12 years there with Dr Randy Holmes Farley.


Here is Richard Ross's tank. His P is 0.75 - 0.95 ppm. No acid washed rock.
 

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